Back plate for fireplaces and crates



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FOUNTAIN E. PITTS,

OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

BACK PLATE FOR FIREPLACES AND GRATES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,768, dated March 3, 1857.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FOUNTAIN E. Prr'rs, ofNashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee, haveinvented a new and useful Back Plate for Fireplaces and Grates, of whichthe following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification,and in which Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of my improvedback plate. Fig. 2, repre sents a section through the same at the linea; m of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3, represents a section at the line 00 00 ofFig. 1.

My invention consists in arranging a grating, the bars of which areangular, in the throat of a chimney in such manner as to cause the smoketo pass through it, the peculiar form and arrangement of the bars beingsuch as to arrest much of the heat, that would otherwise pass up thechimney, and radiate it into the room. This grating may be made ofeither wrought or cast-metal, but I prefer to make it of cast-iron, andof not less than an inch and a half in thickness, and it may be madewith lugs to rest on the sides of the chimney. This grating should be soplaced that it will incline forward at an angle of about 45; but itshould rest on the lugs in such manner that it can turn on them, as ontrunnions, to be thrown back, when necessary, for the purpose ofcleaning the chimney, regulating the draft, etc. The bars of thisgrating are of uniform width and depth with parallel sides and flatbacks, while the face of each of them is an angular ridge, formed by thejunction of two planes at an, angle of about 90. The sides of the barare perpendicular to its back; and the bars are so placed as to leaveoblong spaces between their adjacent sides equal to about one-quarter ofthe width of the back of the bars except at each end, where they arejoined. The face of the grating, thus constructed, consists of a seriesof angular ridges and furrows, with a slot in the bottom of each furrow.This form and arrangement of the bars is such as to secure the mosteffectual interception of the heat at the entrance of the chimney,consistently with the most effectual radiation of that intercepted heatinto the room. The broad converging surfaces of the grate-bars, overwhich the smoke has to pass before it can enter the chimney through thenarrow slots, operates to strain, as it were, the heat out of the smoke.

The area of the face of the grate is greatly increased by the ridges,yet, nevertheless, it occupies a position relative to the fire-place,and to the room, highly favorable to the radiation of the heat into thelower part of the room, where it is most required. The elongatedopenings between the bars also operate advantageously in distributingthe smoke equally, over the whole surface of the bars, in its passagethrough the grating. These openings should equal about one-fifth of thearea of the flue. This back plate will also perform the functions of adamper to regulate the draft, by varying the area of the opening of thethroat. It is obvious that it can readily be adapted and applied to anyform of chimney.

I am aware that grated, reticulated and perforated plates (the lastbeing described in the patent granted to Jacob Cohen April 15th, 1850)have heretofore been used in the throats of fire-places or flues ofstoves; also, that a fire-back, composed of metallic plates, arrangedlike the slats of a window-blind, is described in the patent, for acookingstove, granted to G. Smith and H. Brown May 15th, 1847. I claimnone of these. I am also aware that it has been proposed to place agrate, with angular bars similar to mine, in the flues of cookingranges. I do not claim the plate so placed. But

What I do claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

The back-plate for fire-places and grates, constructed with the seriesof angular ridges, furrows, and slots, in the manner and for thepurposes herein described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

FOUNTAIN E. PITTS.

In presence of- HENRY BALDWIN, J r., A. E. H. JoHNsoN.

